ForeignDude
Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2006
- Messages
- 133
Confessions Of An Anti: Part I
Confessions Of An Anti: Part II
Confessions Of An Anti: Part III
The Early Service Years (2001-2005)
It may come as a surprise to those who have not been in the service, but there is relatively little exposure to firearms in what is supposed to be an Armed Force. This is particularly true for combat service support units (e.g., Judge Advocate, Medical).
During the Officer Basic Course (OBC), I never fired a single round. During the core component of OBC, we had a Field Training Exercise; at the start of this exercise, we were issued one M16 rifle sans magazine and sans ammunition. We carried the rifle everywhere, and it was required to be “on safe” at all times, despite the lack of a magazine. At the training site, we were allowed to handle an M9 pistol, but we were not issued one; M9s were shared among us, as there were not enough to go around. During the day, the M9s were brought out to a central area, where one could examine them more closely, and they were locked back up at night. Although my exposure to firearms in OBC was minimal, I must admit that I learned quite a bit. I learned how to field-strip each weapon, the various parts of the M9 and M16, and how to oil and clean them. I found that I was actually pretty good at it, though I still had no idea what relevance this knowledge would have in my personal life, outside my official duties.
My first posting after OBC was in the Washington, DC, area. I rented an apartment in Maryland, although my choice to live in Maryland was not based on this state’s strict gun control laws. At the time, I was still woefully ignorant of the laws pertaining to purchase, possession, or carry. Most of what I knew about firearms laws came mostly from the media, and it was obvious to me even then that most media outlets derived their knowledge from gun control groups. I simply assumed that these groups were honestly devoted to public safety, and that their reports on firearms laws (or lack thereof) were trustworthy. Thus, I continued to live under the impression that anybody could walk into a gun shop, put down the requisite amount of money, and walk out with a gun – “no questions asked”. Put simply, my views on gun control, fully cemented by this time, were based on woefully inadequate knowledge.
Not too long after I arrived in the DC area, I met my future wife and shortly before we got married, I received orders for a posting in Europe. So, we got married, packed up all our stuff, and left for Germany late in 2004.
Western Europe is an entirely different world: it is the embodiment of the leftist, welfare-state philosophy I had subscribed to since college. First, the majority of the population views government as benevolent; solutions to social problems are arrived at collectively via government action. Second, gun control is seen as a fundamental good, and reflective of the government’s dedication to the “right to live free from violence”. Third, intellectuals of all stripes have a substantial impact in shaping public opinion and policy. Finally, non-governmental organizations wield considerable influence in the halls of power. Needless to say, the “American way” (broadly defined) is viewed very negatively and regarded as the epitome of selfishness, brutality, and violence. It may be a cliché, but it is nonetheless true: Europeans consider themselves far more civilized than Americans.
So, the months passed for me here in Germany. In mid-2005, I got word that I would be deploying to Iraq. Since I wasn’t assigned to one of those Über-tacticool units, I was informed that I would be schlepping an M9 pistol as my only defense against head-chopping, sandflea-crazed jihadists. The good news in all this was that it was a short mission. The bad news was that I would traveling all over Iraq, via transport planes, helicopters, and ground convoys (i.e., frequently “outside the wire”). None of this was particularly comforting: if my ride hit an IED (or got shot down), and if I managed to survive, the only thing standing between me and “CNN Breaking News” was my little pea-shooter. (Don’t get wrong: I consider the M9/92FS a perfectly adequate pistol for civilian CCW use. However, when the other guy is toting a full-auto AK or a grenade launcher, that pistol suddenly seems somewhat – ah – inadequate.)
One of the tasks I had to complete before deployment was to qualify with the M9 pistol. I failed three times; on the fourth try, I barely passed. It was obvious to me that if I wanted to maximize the protective value of the M9 I’d be carrying in Iraq, I needed considerably more practice. It was here, for the first time in my life, that I came face-to-face with the reality of gun control.
The Challenge, Disillusionment, and Reformation (2005-Present)
I started doing some research in preparation for purchasing a firearm. Since I had a specific purpose for purchasing a firearm of my own (improving marksmanship on the same pistol as I would be issued for deployment), I selected the Beretta 92FS as the pistol I was going to buy.
So, I went down to the nearest Army “Rod & Gun” club to buy the pistol. After all, I had learned that all you need to do to get a pistol is to put your money down on the counter. Boy, did I get an education! All American servicemembers are bound by the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States and Germany. So, in order to buy a pistol, I would need to: (1) join a shooting club (e.g., the nearest Army “Rod & Gun Club”) and provide proof of membership-in-good-standing for at least 12 consecutive months; (2) request enrollment in a firearms safety course, and pass the exam administered at the end of the course; (3) obtain a letter from my commander providing clearance for me to purchase a firearm; (4) submit to a criminal background check from the German Federal Police; (5) submit a request for NICS background check to be carried out by the FBI; (6) submit an application to the local German authorities for a pistol and ammunition purchase permit, specifying the pistol to be purchased and the caliber of the pistol; (7) register the pistol with the local German authorities and the US Army; (8) maintain a written record of ammunition used (where purchased, in what quantities, in what caliber). Any pistol I purchased would have to be certified as meeting German “safety” standards. Importation of a firearm without the requisite safety certification is strictly prohibited. Believe it or not, we have it easier than the locals: they also have to have a certification from a mental health professional that they are stable enough to own a firearm. If you think a seven-day waiting period to take possession of a handgun is onerous, try waiting an entire year!
To make a long story short, I gave up on getting the pistol, I did deploy to Iraq, and returned safe-and-sound. Upon my return to Europe, I began doing more research into the technical aspects of firearms, the Second Amendment, the history of gun control, and the politics of gun control. Thus, finally, the scale fell from my eyes: I found that everything that I had been told about guns was a lie.
More than anything else, I felt betrayed. I realized that I had been manipulated by gun control advocates. They had lied to me about the origins and scope of the Second Amendment. They had lied to me about the availability of guns, and the ease with which firearms could be obtained legally. They had lied to me about so-called “assault weapons”. They had lied to me about the effectiveness of gun control laws. They had lied to me about the history of gun control, never mentioning how it was used by Jim Crow-era southern governments to disarm blacks and make them easy prey for the Ku Klux Klan. All of it was a pack of lies.
Gun control advocates had lied particularly about the reality of western Europe. American gun control advocates tout Europe as proof of the superiority of gun control: it is safer, less violent, more civilized than the United States. This, like everything else, is a lie. I live here and I have seen the rot beneath the veneer. Only a fool continues to believe that Europe is a paragon of peace. Britain, Wales, and Scotland are drowning in violent crime. There are areas in the major cities of France and Germany where even the police fear to tread. Germany has a serious gang problem, especially in the larger cities, where roving groups of neo-Nazis and Turkish youth find easy pickings among the unarmed populace. Spain has seen a sharp increase in violence, fueled by Moroccan and Senegalese gangs. Gay-bashing by north African youth is routine fare in France, Holland, and Germany.
The heart of Europe is beating its last. Gun control is but one of the manifestations of that slow death. Here, the populace relies entirely on the police for protection. The police cannot be everywhere, of course, and the people are legally bound not to protect themselves. Self-defense, as legal concept, has virtually disappeared in western Europe. A person is left with two choices: (1) resist with all available means, and risk a longer prison sentence than the criminals who attacked him; (2) submit, and hope that his assailants spy other prey or that the police arrive in time. With few exceptions, the average European has chosen submission, and considers himself the better for it. In this place, this Europe, I learned the most horrific lesson of all: this civilization is where gun control advocates would take our country. Europe is the magnum opus of deliberate campaign to elevate defenselessness as a virtue, and government as a postmodern God. It is the fate of the few, by luck or chance, to die for the self-righteousness of they who shape the Law: the disarmament lobby, the politicians, the bureaucrats. As with the mass herbivore migrations of the African savanna, the old and the weak must be sacrificed to the predator so that the herd may live for one more day.
That would not be, could not be, my fate. Faced with the option to resist or submit, the choice would be mine. No longer would I be bound to a bloody utopian vision, carried forward by a cadre of zealots leveraging the armed might of the State to nullify my right to Life.
I am a gun owner, I hold a concealed carry permit, and (when in the States) I carry a concealed pistol. Should the unthinkable come to pass, I shall be ready. I will not throw my wife and son to the wolves to save myself, nor will delude myself into pretending that cowardice is "courage".
Confessions Of An Anti: Part II
Confessions Of An Anti: Part III
The Early Service Years (2001-2005)
It may come as a surprise to those who have not been in the service, but there is relatively little exposure to firearms in what is supposed to be an Armed Force. This is particularly true for combat service support units (e.g., Judge Advocate, Medical).
During the Officer Basic Course (OBC), I never fired a single round. During the core component of OBC, we had a Field Training Exercise; at the start of this exercise, we were issued one M16 rifle sans magazine and sans ammunition. We carried the rifle everywhere, and it was required to be “on safe” at all times, despite the lack of a magazine. At the training site, we were allowed to handle an M9 pistol, but we were not issued one; M9s were shared among us, as there were not enough to go around. During the day, the M9s were brought out to a central area, where one could examine them more closely, and they were locked back up at night. Although my exposure to firearms in OBC was minimal, I must admit that I learned quite a bit. I learned how to field-strip each weapon, the various parts of the M9 and M16, and how to oil and clean them. I found that I was actually pretty good at it, though I still had no idea what relevance this knowledge would have in my personal life, outside my official duties.
My first posting after OBC was in the Washington, DC, area. I rented an apartment in Maryland, although my choice to live in Maryland was not based on this state’s strict gun control laws. At the time, I was still woefully ignorant of the laws pertaining to purchase, possession, or carry. Most of what I knew about firearms laws came mostly from the media, and it was obvious to me even then that most media outlets derived their knowledge from gun control groups. I simply assumed that these groups were honestly devoted to public safety, and that their reports on firearms laws (or lack thereof) were trustworthy. Thus, I continued to live under the impression that anybody could walk into a gun shop, put down the requisite amount of money, and walk out with a gun – “no questions asked”. Put simply, my views on gun control, fully cemented by this time, were based on woefully inadequate knowledge.
Not too long after I arrived in the DC area, I met my future wife and shortly before we got married, I received orders for a posting in Europe. So, we got married, packed up all our stuff, and left for Germany late in 2004.
Western Europe is an entirely different world: it is the embodiment of the leftist, welfare-state philosophy I had subscribed to since college. First, the majority of the population views government as benevolent; solutions to social problems are arrived at collectively via government action. Second, gun control is seen as a fundamental good, and reflective of the government’s dedication to the “right to live free from violence”. Third, intellectuals of all stripes have a substantial impact in shaping public opinion and policy. Finally, non-governmental organizations wield considerable influence in the halls of power. Needless to say, the “American way” (broadly defined) is viewed very negatively and regarded as the epitome of selfishness, brutality, and violence. It may be a cliché, but it is nonetheless true: Europeans consider themselves far more civilized than Americans.
So, the months passed for me here in Germany. In mid-2005, I got word that I would be deploying to Iraq. Since I wasn’t assigned to one of those Über-tacticool units, I was informed that I would be schlepping an M9 pistol as my only defense against head-chopping, sandflea-crazed jihadists. The good news in all this was that it was a short mission. The bad news was that I would traveling all over Iraq, via transport planes, helicopters, and ground convoys (i.e., frequently “outside the wire”). None of this was particularly comforting: if my ride hit an IED (or got shot down), and if I managed to survive, the only thing standing between me and “CNN Breaking News” was my little pea-shooter. (Don’t get wrong: I consider the M9/92FS a perfectly adequate pistol for civilian CCW use. However, when the other guy is toting a full-auto AK or a grenade launcher, that pistol suddenly seems somewhat – ah – inadequate.)
One of the tasks I had to complete before deployment was to qualify with the M9 pistol. I failed three times; on the fourth try, I barely passed. It was obvious to me that if I wanted to maximize the protective value of the M9 I’d be carrying in Iraq, I needed considerably more practice. It was here, for the first time in my life, that I came face-to-face with the reality of gun control.
The Challenge, Disillusionment, and Reformation (2005-Present)
I started doing some research in preparation for purchasing a firearm. Since I had a specific purpose for purchasing a firearm of my own (improving marksmanship on the same pistol as I would be issued for deployment), I selected the Beretta 92FS as the pistol I was going to buy.
So, I went down to the nearest Army “Rod & Gun” club to buy the pistol. After all, I had learned that all you need to do to get a pistol is to put your money down on the counter. Boy, did I get an education! All American servicemembers are bound by the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States and Germany. So, in order to buy a pistol, I would need to: (1) join a shooting club (e.g., the nearest Army “Rod & Gun Club”) and provide proof of membership-in-good-standing for at least 12 consecutive months; (2) request enrollment in a firearms safety course, and pass the exam administered at the end of the course; (3) obtain a letter from my commander providing clearance for me to purchase a firearm; (4) submit to a criminal background check from the German Federal Police; (5) submit a request for NICS background check to be carried out by the FBI; (6) submit an application to the local German authorities for a pistol and ammunition purchase permit, specifying the pistol to be purchased and the caliber of the pistol; (7) register the pistol with the local German authorities and the US Army; (8) maintain a written record of ammunition used (where purchased, in what quantities, in what caliber). Any pistol I purchased would have to be certified as meeting German “safety” standards. Importation of a firearm without the requisite safety certification is strictly prohibited. Believe it or not, we have it easier than the locals: they also have to have a certification from a mental health professional that they are stable enough to own a firearm. If you think a seven-day waiting period to take possession of a handgun is onerous, try waiting an entire year!
To make a long story short, I gave up on getting the pistol, I did deploy to Iraq, and returned safe-and-sound. Upon my return to Europe, I began doing more research into the technical aspects of firearms, the Second Amendment, the history of gun control, and the politics of gun control. Thus, finally, the scale fell from my eyes: I found that everything that I had been told about guns was a lie.
More than anything else, I felt betrayed. I realized that I had been manipulated by gun control advocates. They had lied to me about the origins and scope of the Second Amendment. They had lied to me about the availability of guns, and the ease with which firearms could be obtained legally. They had lied to me about so-called “assault weapons”. They had lied to me about the effectiveness of gun control laws. They had lied to me about the history of gun control, never mentioning how it was used by Jim Crow-era southern governments to disarm blacks and make them easy prey for the Ku Klux Klan. All of it was a pack of lies.
Gun control advocates had lied particularly about the reality of western Europe. American gun control advocates tout Europe as proof of the superiority of gun control: it is safer, less violent, more civilized than the United States. This, like everything else, is a lie. I live here and I have seen the rot beneath the veneer. Only a fool continues to believe that Europe is a paragon of peace. Britain, Wales, and Scotland are drowning in violent crime. There are areas in the major cities of France and Germany where even the police fear to tread. Germany has a serious gang problem, especially in the larger cities, where roving groups of neo-Nazis and Turkish youth find easy pickings among the unarmed populace. Spain has seen a sharp increase in violence, fueled by Moroccan and Senegalese gangs. Gay-bashing by north African youth is routine fare in France, Holland, and Germany.
The heart of Europe is beating its last. Gun control is but one of the manifestations of that slow death. Here, the populace relies entirely on the police for protection. The police cannot be everywhere, of course, and the people are legally bound not to protect themselves. Self-defense, as legal concept, has virtually disappeared in western Europe. A person is left with two choices: (1) resist with all available means, and risk a longer prison sentence than the criminals who attacked him; (2) submit, and hope that his assailants spy other prey or that the police arrive in time. With few exceptions, the average European has chosen submission, and considers himself the better for it. In this place, this Europe, I learned the most horrific lesson of all: this civilization is where gun control advocates would take our country. Europe is the magnum opus of deliberate campaign to elevate defenselessness as a virtue, and government as a postmodern God. It is the fate of the few, by luck or chance, to die for the self-righteousness of they who shape the Law: the disarmament lobby, the politicians, the bureaucrats. As with the mass herbivore migrations of the African savanna, the old and the weak must be sacrificed to the predator so that the herd may live for one more day.
That would not be, could not be, my fate. Faced with the option to resist or submit, the choice would be mine. No longer would I be bound to a bloody utopian vision, carried forward by a cadre of zealots leveraging the armed might of the State to nullify my right to Life.
I am a gun owner, I hold a concealed carry permit, and (when in the States) I carry a concealed pistol. Should the unthinkable come to pass, I shall be ready. I will not throw my wife and son to the wolves to save myself, nor will delude myself into pretending that cowardice is "courage".
